Kirk Herbstreit takes an early look at the CFP National Championship game between
Washington and Michigan next Monday. (2:27)
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Top-ranked Michigan
has been installed as the betting favorite over Washington in a battle of unbeatens in
the College Football ♠ Playoff national championship game.
The Wolverines opened as
5-point favorites at sportsbook ESPN BET with the over/under total at 55.5.
The line ♠ on
the title game at DraftKings opened at Michigan -4.5, while other U.S. sportsbooks made
the Wolverines 3.5-point favorites over ♠ the Huskies.
The Wolverines (14-0) outlasted
Alabama 27-20 in an overtime thriller in the Rose Bowl to advance to their first ♠ CFP
title game. The Huskies (14-0) hung on to upset Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl and reach
next week's ♠ championship game, which will be the first without an SEC team since
2014.
The Alabama-Michigan Rose Bowl attracted heavy betting action, ♠ the bulk of it on
the underdog Crimson Tide at most sportsbooks. Entering the weekend, Alabama had
attracted nearly three ♠ times as much money from bettors compared to Michigan. But
larger bets from professional bettors showed up on the Wolverines ♠ on Monday, causing
the line to tick up to Michigan -2.5 at some sportsbooks.
Ed Salmons, a veteran Las
Vegas bookmaker ♠ with the SuperBook, told ESPN that while the betting public was siding
with Alabama, the "bigger money" was on Michigan. ♠ ESPN BET also reported big bets on
the Wolverines, including aR$1.35 million money-line bet on Michigan (-130) to win the
♠ game outright.
The Wolverines scored on their first possession in overtime and stopped
Alabama on fourth and goal to secure a ♠ spot Monday's championship game in Houston.